Two staple kitchen items, used by most Brits every day, have been banned from bins under new rules across English councils. Rules on what types of food and garden waste can be recycled have long been disputed across regions, leading to much confusion and, ultimately, large amounts of contaminated waste and landfill.

To combat this, the Government told councils to implement a new standardised system with hopes of ending the refuse ‘postcode lottery.’ Starting March 31, some councils have already announced they will collect black bins less frequently. The aim of this reform is to create a more consistent system across England.

Food and garden waste must now be collected separately. Although 10 garden waste items have now been listed as no longer needing collection, two are particularly surprising. Councils “do not need” to collect tea bags anymore. Instead, they can be composted at home, or households can take them to their local waste recycling centre.

The Simpler Recycling scheme could also see general garden waste sitting for much longer than it did previously. Councils have control over how frequently garden waste bins are collected, but it is recommended that they are collected every 36 weeks. However, this new system could delay the process, causing households to wait for as long as eight to nine months.

But despite this, households have been warned not to ignore the new regulations, as they risk not having their bin collected. Certain councils are exempt from the new regulations until at least 2040, so it is extremely important that people check with their local authority as to whether these new rules are applicable. The UK’s Simpler Recycling reforms were originally introduced under the Environment Act in 2021. It will affect businesses, households, flats and houses.

There are four waste streams under the new system. Food and garden waste are pooled together, as are paper and card. Other dry recyclable materials such as glass, metal and plastic will have a separate bin, and there will be one bin for residual waste.

List of garden waste councils do not need to collect:

• animal bedding
• bulky waste (including garden furniture and fencing)
• garden tools or other gardening equipment
• plant pots
• plastic
• sand
• sawdust
• stone, gravel or bricks
• tea bags or coffee grounds
• branches and trees over a certain size may have to be cut into smaller pieces to follow local guidance